Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

by Christopher M . Byron (Author)

Synopsis

Martha Stewart has generated an enormous following by establishing herself as the leading authority for all things domestic and in the process created a multimillion-dollar enterprise and a personal net worth of nearly $2 billion. As one of the most successful self-made female business owners in American history, Martha Stewart is a topic of interest for fans, business professionals and would-be entrepreneurs alike. Martha Inc. tells the compelling story of how this complex woman created an empire on domesticity and examines her business inside and out. Through an engaging narrative by popular columnist Christopher Byron, this book chronicles how the business was built, what it took to take it public, and the personal and professional transformation Martha has undergone to make it all work. To get a true portrait of the woman whose work ethic is her personal life, Byron delves into the underreported facets of Martha's past, such as the effects her challenging childhood and years on Wall Street have had on her uncompromising business acumen. From Martha Stewart Living magazine and marthastewart.com to a K-Mart line of houseware products, a line of house paints, and a television show, this book details how a former caterer from Connecticut has created a media and merchandising empire, pulling off what large media corporations with vast resources struggle to accomplish. Martha Stewart has sold America on good taste and now readers can learn exactly how she did it and what drives her to keep conquering new vistas. A corporate biography as well as a success story worthy of Horatio Alger, Martha Inc. also delves into how a cult of personality is created and how Martha Stewart capitalized on the zeitgeist that characterized the last half of the twentieth century. This book is a must read for anyone who has been touched by Martha's marketing savvy or who dreams of making it big.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 11 Apr 2002

ISBN 10: 0471123005
ISBN 13: 9780471123002

Media Reviews
Martha Stewart is a success story you either love or hate--but until now you've only heard her side of it. In Martha Inc. , author Christopher Byron chronicles the whole story... (New York Post, April 8, 2002) Mr. Byron will not disappoint those who crave even more evidence of [Martha's] excess. (New York Times Business section, April 14, 2002). ...it's clear [Byron] is a fan of Stewart's business acumen...[the book is] a riveting twist on an old story. (USA Today's, April 15, 2002) makes for a fascinating...read...a meaty account (BusinessWeek, April 22, 2002) Though gleefully heralded in the press as a hatchet job, this biography of Martha Stewart turns out to be surprisingly evenhanded. (The New Yorker, April 22 & 29, 2002) Studying the two faces of Martha makes for a good, if opinionated, read. (The Economist, April 20, 2002) ...many intriguing questions [are] posed in Byron's hot new business book/biography, which is among the most talked-about and successful books of the spring. (Connecticut Post, April 21, 2002) ...more than perfunctory kudos go to Christopher Byron for assembling so much information about his subject, and a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form. (Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2002) [MARTHA INC. is] a can't-put-down read (Detroit News, April 27, 2002) More fascinating is what lies behind the curtains that Byron pulls back... (The Strait Times (Singapore), April 28, 2002) ...takes readers on a fascinating journey into the making of the domestic demigoddess... Byron writes with a lively and informative hand. He zeroes in with facts... (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 1, 2002) Byron has written a balanced book that highlights both [Martha's] strengths and her abundance of warts. That makes Byron's book credible... (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 3, 2002) ...a dishy book...a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form. (Wall Street Journal (Europe), 24 April 2002) Martha Inc. is balanced, and Byron's financial analysis of the company is sophisticated. (New York Times Book Review, Sunday June 9, 2002) Here's a business book that's right at home on the beach. (MONEY Magazine, August, 2002)
Author Bio
CHRISTOPHER BYRON has been writing about business and finance for over 30 years. His well-known Back of the Envelope column ran in The New York Observer for six years and now runs in The New York Post. He is also a contributing editor and financial columnist for MSNBC and Red Herring, and the host of a syndicated daily radio show, Wall Street Wakeup with Chris Byron. Byron worked as an editor and correspondent for Time, and as assistant managing editor of Forbes. He has written four books and his articles have appeared in Esquire, Playboy, New York, Worth, Men's Health, and Travel Holiday magazines, New York Daily News, and on Bloomberg News. Byron graduated from Yale College and the Columbia University School of Law. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and lives in Connecticut with his family.